the stunning military operation andtheu.s. navys.e.a.l. who heroically gave his life to help save a doctor kidnapped by the taliban. nbc's jim has the story. >>> he was a highly decorated navy veteran killed sunday in afghanistan. the s.e.a.l.s set out to rescue an american relief worker dr. dilip joseph kidnapped last week on the road east of kabul. joseph was held hostage at an enemy complex in laghman province. as they approached the compound on foot, they came under intense enemy fire, from ak 478s, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. in the fierce battle the petty officer took a single bullet and later died from his wound. in the heat of that battle they miraculously rescued dr. joseph. he had earned a bronze star and two other awards. he's a native of monroeville, pennsylvania. he was widely admired by coaches and classmates alike. >> i remember nick real well. he was one of those guys you loved to have on your team. >> and he's a special, special person, so he won't be forgotten. >> reporter: dr. joseph works with an american relief organization morningstar providing f

theu.s. andmost outsiders regard as a thinly disguised test of a ballistic missile. now, the rocket was fired this morning shortly before 10:00 a.m. local time. it went on a trajectory over the japanese island of okinawa and quickly provoked expressions of anger and outrage from japan and korea, which convened meetings of security officials. the u.s. described it as a provocative act threatening regional security. now, north korea, for their part, quickly said that it was a success, that the satellite is in orbit, unlike a test earlier this year when the rocket burned up on launch. the u.s. experts have conceded that an object is, indeed, in orbit and that even the chinese have expressed regret today, lynn. >> ian williams there live for us in beijing. ian, thanks so much. >>> back here at home, michigan is now the 24th state in america with a right-to-work law. despite protests of angry union supporters, state lawmakers passed the legislation. this means both private and public workers do not have to pay union fees. and republican governor rick snyder quickly signed the bills, call

.au.s. ambassadorand three others were killed in a terrorist attack on that diplomatic compound in libya. one state department official resigned wednesday and three others removed after an independent panel found security at the consulate was insufficient and state department leadership was to blame. >> the security posture at the special mission compound was inadequate for the threat environment in benghazi. and in fact, grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place that night. >> the report also found the attack was not the result of protests over an anti-islamic video as was first reported. later today, two deputy secretaries of state will testify before congress about the attack. secretary of state hillary clinton will not be there. she's recovering from a concussion after fainting from the stomach flu. aides say clinton, the most traveled u.s. diplomat ever won't be making any trips at all for a few weeks. state department officials dismiss claims that clinton is faking her illness to avoid testifying. >>> vice president joe biden is getting right to business w

intotheu.s. alongwith record snowfall and thunderstorms for most of the country. >>> gasoline almost half a buck cheaper and going lower as obama and boehner meet face to face to peer over the looming fist cliff. >>> the latest on the death of the royal nurse. >>> handcuffed man makes off with a police cruiser. >>> and could hillary clinton be presented with an offer she can't refuse? >>> very good morning to you, i'm veronica de la cruz. right now residents in the midwest are waking up to some of the heaviest snowfall they've seen in two months. a low moving storm dumped more than a foot. 150 flight cancellations and delays at minneapolis st. paul airport. nbc meteorologist bill karins has been tracking those storms. it looks bad. >> impressive. ten inches in minneapolis. winter has arrived and in a big way through the middle of the country. the wind chills are brutal this morning. all of this mess is now sliding to the east coast. thankfully not the snow and ice. the storm itself is actually located over lower michigan heading up towards just north of buffalo. these storms in the winter

. on september 11ththeu.s. ambassadorand three other americans were killed on a terrorist attack in libya. tuesday an independent review investigating the incident released its findings. a panel was highly critical of the state department saying they ignored arrests in tripoli for more guards and security upgrades relied who heavily on specific requests instead of security. and used unprotect militia to protect the compound. the report also found the attack was not the result of protests over anti-islamic video as first reported. in a letter to congress, secretary of state hillary clinton said she accepts all of the panel's 29 recommendations writing there is no higher priority for me or my department. >>> though there seems to be progress still no fiscal cliff deal in washington. house speaker john boehner said he has a backup plan. but that's not enough for one in three americans who according to a new survey are cutting back on spending due to fears of going over that cliff. nbc's tracie potts joins us now with more. good morning. >> reporter: mara, good morning. good morning, everyone

, the syrian regime has turned increasinglydesperate.u.s. officialstell nbc news the syrian military loaded the precursor chemicals for sarn nerve gas into aerial bombs. that could be dropped from dozens of syrian fighter bombers. this week u.s. intelligence detected a flurry of activity at chemical weapons sites like this one. while u.s. officials confirm the precursor chemicals are loaded, they must still be mixed together to create the deadly sarin gas. the development shook the world. president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton issued strong warnings to syria's president assad that there would be serious consequences if he used chemical weapons. >> it's the point of no return. they're going to lose any sort of backing that they had from the chinese and russians in terms of blocking the u.n. vote. and it's my -- it's a suicide move. >> reporter: iraq's saddam hussein killed 5,000 kurds with a sarin gas attack in 1988. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, pentagon. >>> back here at home, fiscal cliff negotiations in washington are still up in the air. most lawmakers have gone home for a

political crisis. >>> in greece, police fended off protesters launching molotov cocktails. >>> and intheu.s., thepresident is taking his fiscal cliff solutions directly to the people. >>> plus, a modern-day spy story ripped from the pages of a tom clancy novel. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry and we start with breaking news out of japan. a strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake has struck off the country's northeastern coast. that's the same region hit by last year's massive earthquake and tsunami. well, this morning's quake shook buildings as far as tokyo, and there are reports of a three-foot tsunami in the miyagi prefecture. the u.s. geological survey says there's no risk of a widespread tsunami, and so far, there have been no news of injuries or damage. of course, we're going to keep an eye on any aftershocks that occur and we'll bring you the very latest. >>> well, elsewhere, all eyes are on cairo this morning as turmoil has once again overtaken egypt's capital. this time, it's in response to a politically explosive power grab by the democracy's president, mohamed morsi. right now, so

by firing scud missiles atrebels.u.s. officialssay more than half dozen scud missiles were fired into northern syria and areas held about it rebels have suffered severe damage recently. there's no evidence that the missiles contain chemical weapons, though. meanwhile, the president of ecuador denied yesterday that syrian leader assad has requested asylum there. >>> john mcafee is back on u.s. soil after being deported from guatemala on immigration violations. the anti-virus millionaire is miami. they are not involves in the belize investigation into the death of mcafee's neighbor. asked if he was concerned about extradition, mcafee responded. >> i'm not worried at all. if i'm in front of a court, there is nothing in the world they will do to send me back. they have no evidence. they're obviously trumped up charges. this is the only attempt they charged me. >> mcafee is currently free in the u.s. he remains a person of interest and the belize police would still like to talk to them. >>> there are new details this morning about cause of death of the london nurse who was caught up i

's regime appears to be crumbling, leon panetta announced today that400u.s. troopswere be deployed to turkey to protect against a potential syrian missile attack. now, officials say the move is largely a symbolic show of force to signal the u.s. will support the defense of turkey. today russia is denying that one of its top diplomats said that president bashar al assad is losing control of his country. nbc is live for us in cairo. he has the latest. ayman, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. a series of rapid developments inside and outside the country. inside syria, first of all, rebels announced they made very important gains on the outskirts of the city of aleppo and the capital damascus. in aleppo they're reporting to have taken over a military base belonging to the regime and in damascus, they've taken over a military installation on the outside of that country's airport. that also links to the issue of outside support for the syrian regime, including russia which says it will stand by president bashar al assad despite comments yesterday from a senior russian

. she won't testify before congress this week about the attack that killed four americans intheu.s. missionin benghazi, libya. >>> kate made her first appearance since being hospitalized for pregnancy sickness. >>> wall streets begin the final full week of trading with the tragedy in mind. along with a renewed push for tighter gun control legislation. >>> several police departments are across the country like this one in maryland held gun buybacks over the weekend. trading firearms and ammunition for cash. >>> elsewhere the u.s. postal service said today will be the busiest day of the year for mailing christmas cards. >>> meanwhile fed ex is expected to report a slip in profits. >>> also ahead this week, earnings from walgreens and nike. a record at the weekend box office. the hobbit an unexpected journey earned nearly $85 million nationwide. the biggest december opening of all-time. >>> now, for another look at the weather here's nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer. i can't remember the last time i have seen a movie. >> i have seen skyfall, the last movie that i have been to, it's har

, the revolutionary guard capturedau.s. drone.the aircraft was flying in iran's airspace and brought down by electronic jamming. we're working to confirm this story. more details as soon as we have them. elsewhere, with only four weeks to go before we reach that fiscal cliff, republicans offer a proposal for a new deal. it had few specifics. the white house rejected it. tracie potts joins us from washington with the details. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. with a white house proposal and republican proposal on the table, you'd think we would have somewhere to begin negotiations. the white house says what republicans have offered isn't even a start. six governors, democrats, and republicans weigh in on the fiscal cliff today. what will they tell president obama about the spending cuts and tax increases now just 28 days away? >> we must reign in our out of control spending. >> reporter: republicans have an offer, $800 billion in new taxes, half what the president wanted. $600 billion saved in part by making americans wait until they're 67 to get medicare. plus more cuts totalling $2.2

ticks away for procrastinating shoppers. >>> plus,au.s. senatorarrested on dui charges. the world's most expensive christmas dinner. >>> and "the hobbit" holds on. >>> very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. days after the national rifle association's first public comment since the massacre, they're criticizing him for wanting to put armed guards in school. he's sticking to his guns. congress can't do anything about it until next month nbc danielle leigh joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: veronica, good morning. as that gun debate heats up, we are also approaching the fiscal cliff. we're talking about uncertainty now on two issues close to american's hearts and across the country people are responding. some spending less this holiday this season as the fiscal cliff nears and others buying guns as that intensifies. fresh off a demand for armed guards in school, nra's wayne lapierre remained defiant in his one and only interview with david gregory. >> if it's crazy for calling for armed police in our schools to protect our children, call me crazy. >> rep

where she is trying to convince leaders tochooseu.s. companywestinghouse over a russian rival for a $10 billion nuclear reactor project. >>> 88-year-old former president george h.w. bush remains at a houston hospital in stable condition. four days after being admitted for a lingering cough related to bronchitis. >>> authorities in japan have confirmed at least nine deaths in sunday's highway tunnel collapse outside of tokyo. >>> old south church in boston plans to auction off a copy of a rare hymn book published in 1640 worth between $10 million and $20 million. >>> finally, some strange news out of north korea to tell you about where state media is reporting the discovery of an ancient unicorn layer. how do they know? archaeologists claim that they have found an ancient rock that contains the words "unicorn layer." of course. >>> and now here is your first look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." actress meryl streep and secretary of state hillary clinton were having way too much fun at a state department gala saturday night. part of this weekend's kennedy center

. >> the senate democrats and white house refused to act. they'll be responsible for the largest tax hikeinu.s. history.>> reporter: but boehner's tax plan to raise rates on increase over $1 million upset tea party republicans. >> this debate should be about spending, not taxes. >> reporter: in trouble, boehner pulled republicans into a meeting, tried to get the votes he needed but failed. >> it's unbelievable. this is horrible. i mean, i am -- i'm angry. i'm sad for my friend the speaker and i'm sad for the country. >> reporter: plan b looks dead. >> will there be a vote tomorrow? >> no. >> reporter: democrats gloated at boehner's failure. >> it was a bad plan but he couldn't even sell his bad plan to their extreme members of his own caucus. >> reporter: earlier this week a boehner as we e boehner/obama compromise looked close to getting done. >> they are so close. what is the speaker waiting for? >> reporter: now boehner has learned his house republicans might reject any tax hikes. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, capitol hill. >>> the off-camera private meeting of the republicans last night

procrastinators. >>> plus,au.s. senatorarrested on dui charges. the world's most expensive christmas dinner. and "the hobbit" holds on. very good morning to you, i'm veronica de la cruz. critics are taking aim at its controversial plan to put armed guards in schools. the head of the powerful group is sticking to its guns on the explosive issue. one congress won't be able to do anything about until sometime next month. danielle leigh joins us. >> as the gun debate heats up, we're talking about uncertainty. across the country people are responding. some spending less this holiday season as the fiscal cliff nears, others buying guns as that debate intensifies. fresh off the demand for armed guards in every school, wayne lapierre remained defiant in his one and only interview with david gregory. >> if it's crazy to call for putting police and armed security in our school to protect our children, call me crazy. >> reporter: the nra leader wanted to discuss munitions. >> i don't believe that will make a difference. >> reporter: throughout the country some americans are responding, some buying wea

proposes a series of extraordinary measures to postpone the date thattheu.s. wouldotherwise default on its legal obligations. geithner estimates his plan would free up about $200 billion, providing roughly two months of wiggle room. >>> well, last night on "the rachel maddow show," guest host ezra klein asked former clinton budget director alice rivlin on where we could see the fallout from the fiscal cliff. >> the real uncertainty i think is what the markets will look isn't in control of its own destiny because we're acting that way right now. now, if you're an investor, whether you're in some part of the united states or you're in some other part of the world, do you really want to buy american securities? do you want to invest in a country whose government isn't functioning? i don't think so. so, we could get a big market reaction, a drop in the stock market, and that might scare people. >> "the rachel maddow show" week nights at 9:00 eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. >>> home prices on the rise, syria's head of preventing defections decides to defect. your he

. some stories making news this morning. a bomb exploded at amajoru.s. militarybase in eastern afghanistan this morning killing the attacker and two afghans. >>> and hawaii's governor may appoint a replacement for the late senator inouye as early as today. senator reed asked a decision be made quickly to ensure hawaii's representation in fiscal cliff negotiations is there. it is said senator inouye endorsed a person before he died. >> and ben affleck has taken his name off the list for senator and says while he loves the political process, he will not be running for office. >>> a new "washington post" pole shows a bleak outlook for the coming year, 40% are hopeful and 56% say they are fearful. >>> the miami heat grabbed the top spot in the eastern conference by surviving a battle with the oklahoma city thunder. lebron james, dwyane wade and mario chalmers combined for 51 poin points. >>> in los angeles, rihanna and chris brown are courtside as the lakes pick up a victory over the new york knicks. kobe bryant serving 34, topping 30 points for the ninth straight game. get out of

for god in our hectic and technology-driven lives. >>> in thekabul,u.s. andother nato soldiers celebrated christmas eve away from their families and friends with a special meal and candlelight service. here is one soldier's take on not being home for the holidays. >> you know this job comes with a price. many of the soldiers they realize that price. so even though we'd like to be with our families we realize the importance of what we're doing here and we believe in it. >> while the first family vacations in hawaii, first lady michelle obama took phone calls from some lucky kids who are tracking the progress of santa claus through a site set up by norad. as it turns out, a record number of those kids and adults were looking for reel time updates on st. nick. as of midnight, trackers answered more than 111,000 calls. that is 4,000 more than last christmas. pretty cool. >>> major markets ended christmas eve on the downside, but who could be gloomy with santa on hand to ring the bell. chris botti jazzed up the stock exchange with a little christmas cheer. some 17 million shoppers w

florida admitted to sneaking stolen dinosaur bones intotheu.s. thebones included a 70 million-year-old tyronnasaurus. >>> from the cute file, we have been tracking this panda from the san diego zoo. he tips the scales at 4 pounds. he had a little bit of fun, chewing on a bamboo and playing in a plastic ring. >>> now to the some of the most annoying words of 2012. the marist poll puts twitterverse at number five. once again, for the fourth year in a row, whatever tops the list as the most irritating word on the list. >>> some of the most annoying words in its annual survey, we have it in twice. >>> the dow lost 18 on thursday. closing at 13,096. the s&p 500 was down a point. >>> overseas markets fared slightly better. >>> as those fiscal cliff worries become mo, the stocks skidded on thursday. on news that house members will return to negotiations on sunday evening. the latest penning home sales data comes out at 9:00. >>> the dairy industry is calling it the milk cliff. if congress doesn't approve a farm bill, the price of milk could skyrocket from 3.65 to as much as 8. all da

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